UConn researcher Al Kasani’s invention makes camping easier in hot weather.
For many avid outdoor enthusiasts, summer and camping go hand in hand. But as climate change continues to push summer temperatures higher, outdoor recreation can become less relaxing. Also, cooling technologies such as fans and portable his air conditioners require power, which is rarely available at the average campground.
Seeing the unmet need, UConn researcher Al Kasani said: Technology commercialization service (TCS) and university Clean Energy Engineering Center (C2E2) has developed a new off-grid technology that can reduce the internal temperature of a tent up to 20°F below ambient temperature.
tent Only one external element is required to function. Water, which is usually found in abundance around campsites. One gallon of water will keep the tent’s cooling technology running for up to 24 hours.
“Looking to nature is key to many of our problems. Plants draw water from the ground, sweat to cool themselves, and get the energy they need from the sun. It was just finding materials that could do the same job,” says Kasani.
A proprietary fabric draws water from a reservoir over the entire surface area of the tent, lowering temperatures significantly less electricity than existing cooling technologies. The most efficient technology on the market today is the infrared reflective tent, explains Michael Invernale, senior license manager at TCS.
“All the heat bounces off the infrared-reflecting tent. The best-case scenario is that it’s as hot inside the tent as it is outside,” he says. “It’s not that hot, but depending on the conditions inside and outside the tent and the air flow, it can feel hotter inside the tent even if the temperature is the same. This new evaporative cooling technology makes the temperature inside the tent 15 cooler than outside.” We can lower it by ~20 degrees.”
Both physically and environmentally, a tent has a very small footprint. Its lightweight fabric is packable and far more portable than a fan, and its cooling system is “driven” by an infinitely repeating reaction between water and titanium nanoparticles, eliminating emissions and making it a renewable resource. to use. The wide availability of titanium ensures that tent production remains cost-effective for producers and affordable for consumers.
Moisture-wicking technology also has the added benefit of air purifying effects with antimicrobial nanoparticles.
“Water and nanoparticles go through a reversible reaction over and over again, with the water moving away. But the water is in contact with this catalytic material, and in the process, radicals are created and killed. [infectious] Materials inside and outside the tent. So you can also think of it like an air purifier,” he says Invernale.
Industry interest in Kasani’s technology is high, and its office helps researchers commercialize their innovations into products that benefit society and drive economic development, according to Invernale. Ultimately, we hope to see this tent on the market not just for recreational campers, but for foresters, military personnel, and anyone who can find shelter in a cooler place.
Original: A self-cooling tent that runs on only water and sunlight
Than: University of Connecticut
